Lectures, Classes, and Tutoring with Rokhl Kafrissen

A magical auction for cheaper groceries Prices are absolutely out of control at the grocery store. Why are Doritos (DORITOS!!!) close to $7???  Even if we can all live without Doritos ( though what kind of life would that really be? ) we do  all need to eat real food to live. But who can afford the prices I'm seeing at my local supermarket, like a pound of chicken thighs for $20. It's nuts. (No, actually, I can't afford nuts, either. Let's say it's bananas .) I happened to be reading some Yiddish folklore sources on the holidays and I came across this sgule  (magic charm or remedy) against inflation. This practice was found during the holiday of Simkhes Toyre. It was performed at certain Hasidic courts while the rebbe held his tish (holiday meal with his followers). Now, you may not be eating a meal at the rebbe's tish any time soon, but perhaps you can adapt it to your own holiday table. If you do, lemme know how it goes! ליציטאציעס Auctions “ Litsitatsiyes ...

“Elul Days in a Rebbe’s Court in Galitsiye” by Menashe Unger Originally published in "Der Tog-Morgn Zhurnal" (New York City) September 1, 1957  translation by Rokhl Kafrissen Writing in 1957, Menashe Unger looks back on his childhood days in the shtetl of Zhabne/Zabno , in what was then Austro-Hungary. He was probably around 10 years old at the time of the events he recounts, so that would make it somewhere around 1910. Writing about hasidim and the hasidic world was Unger’s bread and butter as a working writer, and this essay is an excellent example.   I've used this piece to teach about Elul for the last two years. I love sharing it with students because it brings us right into Unger’s world: the tastes, smells, and sounds of Elul seem to waft off the page. I also love it for the delicious juxtaposition of the seriousness of the season next to the hijinks of Unger and his pals. There is the indoor, spiritual world of Unger’s father, the Rebbe, and the o...